Faith in action
January 26, 2023
We invite you to join together as we pause to reflect and acknowledge January 26, in lament, prayer and action for justice.
Read moreLast week, Noongar elder and deeply respected Christian leader, Rev. Sealin Garlett, presented your Common Grace petition to W.A. Aboriginal Affairs Minister Peter Collier.
In attendance at the meeting - along with Rev. Sealin Garlett (the Aboriginal & Islander Christian Congress Chair) – was: Cheryl Lawson (Noongar Worship Leader); Rev. Ken Williams (Acting Moderator of the Uniting Church Synod of W.A.); Geoff Bice (Justice and Mission Officer); and me (Jarrod McKenna, National Director of Common Grace).
Together, we handed over 1500 personal messages of love and solidarity, and were given the opportunity to discuss the situation with Minister Collier. Our conversation included: the need for consultation processes; discussion of the diversity of communities affected; and our desire to genuinely exhaust all avenues to resolve the situation, beginning first with consultation but not ruling out nonviolent action if necessary and requested by those we stand in solidarity with.
Rev. Sealin praised the positive initiatives the Minister has put in place, but insisted with an unrelenting kindness that the threat of closure of the 150 communities must cease. He explained that for First Peoples, “The land is our pulse beat.”
As a unified group, we specifically asked the Western Australian State Government to:
These were well received by the Minister and we look forward to seeing how things progress. Please pray with us for justice to reign as Minister Collier, Premier Barnett and their teams make decisions about their next steps.
We invite you to join together as we pause to reflect and acknowledge January 26, in lament, prayer and action for justice.
Read moreRight now, Australia has a once in a generation opportunity to move forward on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice. Pledge to take action for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice in 2023.
Take the pledgeBecca De Souza reflects on the recent ‘Voice and the Church’ conference held by Scarred Tree Ministries on the lands of Gadigal Clan of the Eora Nation (St John’s Anglican Church, Glebe, Sydney).
Common Grace's Opening Statement at the Community Support and Services Committee of the Queensland Parliament public hearing for the Criminal Law (Raising the Age of Responsibility) Amendment Bill 2021 held on 14 February 2022.
After Closing the Gap announcements last week, Brooke Prentis calls for real action, commitment and change to come.
Today is National Close the Gap Day. The lack of Closing the Gap is an ongoing injustice. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to die too young and too often from this injustice, and through these gaps we realise the inequality in these lands now called Australia.